At this pace, Tottenville may want to change its team colors from purple to orange.

For the second straight summer, the Pirates have sent their top player to Syracuse. Last year, it was wide receiver Alvin Cornelius. Tuesday running back Augustus Edwards announced his verbal commitment to the Orange and head coach Doug Marrone. He also considered Maryland, North Carolina State and Virginia.

The bruising 6-foot-2, 225-pound back held as many as 17 BCS-level scholarship offers, but as far back as a month ago decided he wanted to stay in-state and join the army of city standouts at Syracuse.

“I can be the next guy,” he said. “They’re going to be a school on the rise and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Edwards’ comfort level with players on the current roster and the coaching staff, the opportunity to play immediately and be part of the Orange’s first ACC recruiting class made it a simple decision. When he visited Syracuse, he hardly talked football with Marrone.

“He wanted to get to know me,” Edwards said.

Edwards saw a story online that showed him at the top of Syracuse’s recruiting board for running back, whenever he logged on to a Syracuse fan site his name always came up and the program’s coaches, specifically Marrone and city recruiter John Anselmo kept close tabs on him.

“At the end of the day, you want to go where you’re wanted the most,” Edwards said. “I know they wanted me a lot.”

Quiet and unassuming, Edwards wore a grin larger than his massive stature on Tuesday. He’s come a long way in a short time, joining the Pop Warner ranks late in middle school. In eighth grade, with the Staten Island Hurricanes, he didn’t even start in the backfield because the team had talents such as Laray Smith of Xaverian and Floyd’s Stacey Bedell, who will be a freshman this fall at UMass. Edwards played outside linebacker instead.

“I worked harder because I wanted to play that position,” he said. “It kept me focused. I was very new to the position. I watched and learned from those guys.”

It led to a big career at Tottenville. As a sophomore, he ran for 408 yards and six touchdowns and last year, Edwards amassed 995 yards on 146 carries with 10 touchdowns and scored three more times.

“He can be a dominant player, down the road,” Tottenville coach Jim Munson said. “In the fourth quarter nobody is going to want to tackle him. His potential upside is off the hook.”

One Division I coach who recruited Edwards said: “He’s a great athlete, a great kid. He can be a very good back in the ACC. There are a lot of positives about him.”

Edwards visited Syracuse, Rutgers, Connecticut and Penn State. He was planning to see Virginia, North Carolina State and Maryland after cutting his list down to four, but he couldn’t work out transportation. Edwards took that as a sign.

“My mind was made up,” he said.

The timing of Edwards’ decision struck some as odd. His senior year is still six weeks away from starting. He could’ve gone on official visits in the Fall. After two consecutive losses in the PSAL City Championship division semifinals, he is hungry to get to the finals.

“That’s the reason for this,” he said, “to prepare to try to make a run for a city championship this year.”